The NBA G League is moving one step closer to having 30 teams – one for each NBA franchise – in the 2019/20 season. While the league isn’t quite there yet, it’s getting close now that we can add the Pelicans to the list of NBA teams with their own affiliates.
The Pelicans’ NBAGL affiliate will be the league’s 28th franchise, leaving just two NBA teams that don’t have a one-to-one relationship with a G League club — the Trail Blazers and Nuggets.
Of those 28 NBA teams, 26 fully own and operate their NBAGL affiliates, after the Celtics reached an agreement this year to buy the Maine Red Claws. Only the Rockets and Pistons still have “hybrid” affiliations with their G League teams, meaning they manage and fund the basketball operations while local ownership maintains the control of the business and its community relations.
Here’s the full list of G League affiliates for the 2019/20 season:
Atlanta Hawks: College Park Skyhawks (relocation)
Boston Celtics: Maine Red Claws
Brooklyn Nets: Long Island Nets
Charlotte Hornets: Greensboro Swarm
Chicago Bulls: Windy City Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers: Canton Charge
Dallas Mavericks: Texas Legends
Detroit Pistons: Grand Rapids Drive
Golden State Warriors: Santa Cruz Warriors
Houston Rockets: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Indiana Pacers: Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Los Angeles Clippers: Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
Los Angeles Lakers: South Bay Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis Hustle
Miami Heat: Sioux Falls Skyforce
Milwaukee Bucks: Wisconsin Herd
Minnesota Timberwolves: Iowa Wolves
New Orleans Pelicans: Erie BayHawks (expansion)
New York Knicks: Westchester Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder: Oklahoma City Blue
Orlando Magic: Lakeland Magic
Philadelphia 76ers: Delaware Blue Coats
Phoenix Suns: Northern Arizona Suns
Sacramento Kings: Stockton Kings
San Antonio Spurs: Austin Spurs
Toronto Raptors: Raptors 905
Utah Jazz: Salt Lake City Stars
Washington Wizards: Capital City Go-Go
How do the call ups from the G league work again? Any team can call up a player from another teams affiliate or something unless they have certain contract language?
Yep. Two-way players and guys on NBA contracts who have been assigned to the G League can’t be poached by rival NBA teams. Any other players can be though.
The Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario are following in the footsteps of the California Angels of Los Angeles or however that went. To get the first one right, I used Clip(per) & paste.
Anyway why so complicated and manipulative.